Most intelligent proponents of gun control recognize the realities of gun confiscation, understanding that it is an overtly illegal action that would never make it past the courts. Even if it was somehow declared legal, getting local police departments to enforce the law would be another impossible task. And even if they could somehow get the police and military on board, gun confiscation would lead to a civil war unlike any the world has ever seen before.
Nevertheless, one newly elected Congressman has a radical, moronic solution to the insurmountable obstacles preventing gun confiscation – just drop nukes on Americans who don’t turn in their guns.
It’s a statement too absurd to even be believable as a satire piece, yet it’s something that one of our nation’s leaders actually said. After Rep. Eric Swalwell suggested the US government pursue gun confiscation, one Twitter user warned Swalwell that his policies would lead to a civil war. Swalwell responded, saying, “And it would be a short war my friend. The government has nukes. Too many of them. But they’re legit. I’m sure if we talked we could find common ground to protect our families and communities.”
Peeling back all of the levels of ignorance in this statement is like trying to get to the heart of an artichoke. For one, there’s the fact that a soon-to-be Congressman believes that nuking American cities and American citizens is a worthwhile tradeoff for enforcing gun control. Second, there’s the fact that Swalwell seems to believe that nuclear weapons can somehow be targeted specifically at gun owners rather than obliterating everything and everyone in a miles-long radius.
Swalwell later walked back his statement, saying “No one is nuking anyone or threatening that.” However, that doesn’t change the reality that an elected representative of Congress still chose to make such an absurd and dangerous comment in the first place.
A civil war over gun confiscation remains incredibly unlikely – not because politicians like Swalwell are unwilling to take it that far but because we have so many protections in place that would keep it from ever getting to that point. So long as the Second Amendment exists, any gun confiscation law would be shot down by the courts before the ink on the paper even had time to dry.
If politicians did manage to pass a gun confiscation law, they had better count on going door to door themselves to collect the firearms. Law enforcement and the military tend to be very supportive of gun rights as a whole, and many law enforcement and military leaders have already said that they would never take up arms against American citizens in order to enforce gun confiscation no matter what unconstitutional orders Washington handed down.
If it did come to a civil war, nuclear weapons wouldn’t be a factor any more than they have been a factor in any war since World War Two. Our nuclear arsenal did nothing to help the American government in the Vietnam War, nothing to help in the war against Al-Qaeda, nothing to help in the fight against ISIS, and nothing to help in any other war, battle, or skirmish that we have been involved in. It would likewise play no role in any civil war over gun confiscation.
To Swalwell’s credit, the talking point he was trying to get at isn’t an uncommon one among supporters of gun control. Countering the argument that the Second Amendment is designed to protect against a tyrannical government, many gun control proponents argue that an armed populace couldn’t possibly stand a chance against the full might of the United States military if it ever came to that. Most of them don’t invoke nuclear weapons since they realize how useless nukes would be in a civil war, but they do argue that the government is simply too well armed and technologically advanced for the Second Amendment to serve the same purpose that it did in 1776.
Again, though, this assumes that the military would take up arms against the American people and disavow the Constitution they swore to protect. Even if 50% of the military got on board with gun confiscation – a ridiculously large number – that would still leave the other 50% of the military along with more than 100 million gun owners standing against them.
Try as he might, Congressman Eric Swalwell won’t be confiscating guns any time soon. Instead, he’ll have to stick with making moronic statements about gun control on Twitter.
This guy is nuts he needs to be kicked out of congress
NO, HE NEEDS TO BE SHOT IN THE NUTS WITH MY 9 AND BURIED UNDER A MOUND OF FECES.
What a wacko to even bring up the subject of nukes ! Are all these dems like minded and stupid ?
Sounds like he’s being influenced by mad max or occasional -cortez
He needs to resign. He has THREATENED millions of Americans with his comment. Had it been the other way around, they would be in jail.
There really are dumb ass politicians. Well that would get rid of the criminals to.. But would also kill innocent children. He must related to Saddam,.
So lets look at the face here, these are not made up , but are facts, this elected official wants to nuke Americans if WE THE PEOPLE go to war with what we consider a tyrannical and rogue government within the United States, when the Atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, the instantaneously tempter reached several million degrees centigrade, the bomb explored at an altitude of 1,870 feet above the city, resulting in the destruction over all of some 42.9 Squair miles , and that was just one city, the other question that comes to mind is how many people were killed in the explosion, With some 70.000 being killed in the in initial blast and another 70.000 dyeing from radiation 12 hours later, that brings the total to around some 140.000 dyeing in just one city, now that being said, if our government where to used such weapons. One they screw them selves because there would be parts of the country that would be uninhabitable to them or anyone else, and to that would leave less voters for their reelection campaign. So this should be considered by our elected officials before they open their mouths. So I say this to Mr. Swalwell’s, it is better to die on ones feet then on ones knees.
John King,
I agree 100% with what you had to say.
I suggest you run a spell checker on your comments in the future. It will give you a lot more credibility. It’s quite apparent to me you’re intelligent and informed. There are a fair number of A-holes out there who will instantly brand you as an idiot which simply isn’t true.
If I’ve offended you I apologize. It was never my intent.
Spencer
well I will say this for Swalwell he definitely is not the brightest bulb in the bunch. Proven fact you need to be able to pour water out of a boot with out having to look at the bottom of the heel for instructions. Which this moron would be incapable of doing.
IT IS SAD THAT PEOPLE LIKE HIM USE UP SO MUCH OXYGEN,,,,HE HAS BEEN HANGING AROUND TOO MANY CALIFORNIA SENATORS,,,AND, WHAT SCARES HIM IS THE TYPE OF PEOPLE THAT VOTED FOR HIM,,THEY MUST ALL ME NUTS TOO,,,,,
Rep. Swalwell is another idiotic California reresentative who knows nothing about firearms, nuclear weapons, or American firearms owners! Just the hunters that take to the field every year constitutes the largest army in the world! Less hunters are accidentally shot each year than are shot and killed in Chicago every weekend!! Their gun control laws have failed miserably. They need to look at CRIME control not gun control!! Many of us law abiding firearms owners are citizens that have proudly taken a solemn oath to protect and defend the constitution when we joined the USMC or any other branch of the military. Just like Mr. Swalwell’s and all elected officials including the President take. It states that they, like servicemen, swear to protect and defend the constitution “against ALL enemies both foreign and domestic.” Mr. Swalwell, you and the rest of your demonrat buddies will pay a huge price for the idiotic statements that continue to flow from the mouths of you and the rest of the sadly uninformed politicians. If a politician votes to pass more ridiculous gun control laws or measures they have ignored the oath of office they VOLUNTARILY took and we the people will begin standing together to impeach and jail these idiots ourselves!! Impossible? Keep pushing us law abiding gun owners and see what happens!! We’re ready!!